


Kingdom's rise

by Meatbunattack



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, I don't know how a kingdom is built from the ground, I'm just guessing, No Beta, Oops, Pale king builds his kingdom, Pale king isn't that bad of a bug., Was made somewhat to show that, Was thought to be a one shot but became more, We die like the Pale King, there will be time skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:22:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27494170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatbunattack/pseuds/Meatbunattack
Summary: A grand kingdom such as Hallownest had to start somewhere.When a white Wyrm arrived at these foreign lands, He shed His old skin and transformed anew. A smaller form, one where He could rule the bugs of these lands properly.He was no tyrant. But He had influence.This is the tale of how a Wyrm built a kingdom from the ground up.
Relationships: Grimm & The Pale King (Hollow Knight), The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & The Pale King, The Pale King/White Lady (Hollow Knight)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 18





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Heyoooo.  
> Just writing a thing. Just. A thing that I wanted to be small. But it was just too much fun to speculate about things.  
> Soooooo it became a fic. Here ya go.  
> Gonna update it as I get chapters finished. First 7 will come out steadily one each week but the ones after that... yeaaaah we'll see.  
> This is supposed to follow the king during the rise and fall of Hallownest. So it's how he built it up and then as he struggles to not have it fall.  
> Yeh it'll become sad eventually.  
> I'm not a english speaker as my first language, just as a side note. X'D

_ Deserted wasteland. _

There were many signs of life in that place, many without purpose.

_ Underground, buried, hidden from the harsh winds. _

They needed to reach it.

_ A kingdom brought forth from the depths, a city heart with statues of worship. _

Yes. This was what They had seen..

_ No blazing kin. Only one light shall shine against the dark. _

They settled after their long travel, buried under the ground by the cave system They had found. Their body curled around above the cave system as if to shield it from the violent winds up above, even though they were underground. Pale white was Their visage, pale white was Their true form. The head emerged into a cave a little away from the caves filled with life that They felt, and tired from the long path They had traversed. Their eyes closed, mouth open as They waited.

They felt the land as They slept. Felt Their own aura compress yet expand. They could touch the minds of the residents here, and felt how their instincts flourished even underground. They felt the crystals above, filled with an energy similar to Their own. They felt the lush greenery so far away and two lands with a hive mind. They felt other radiances. They felt the mixture of beast and bug who lived in these caverns and which minds had been touched before Their arrival. 

Curious. But this was Their final resting place. They would not change it because of someone else’s presence.

_ The Wyrm becomes a beacon, minds expanded, to yield, to devote. _

They would awaken these bugs yet to find devotion. Speak with those who had found devotion with Their voice. To create what could stand against time. They let Themselves feel the land as They felt Their strength slowly fade. Fade yet compressed into a smaller form deep within. With Their mouth still open, They heaved one, final breath.

_ Eternity in promise.  _

And a head burst out from the confines of Their shell. Much smaller, much more fragile in form than the great wyrm They hatched from. They stepped out of the broken egg,  _ He  _ stepped out, and looked up into the flesh covered ceiling. The innards were already starting to dry as the death had been slow but necessary. For He now felt the land, He felt his future kingdom. They had started to touch a few bugs with Their influence already. The centre of these lands were hollow, lands without claim.

The seal automatically activated as He stepped out of His shell. 

How long had it been? Time held no relevance. Bugs gave eggs and died while He slept. He looked over the pieces of membrane He came from, a sufficiently large piece was picked up and draped over him like a cloak to cover most of His body. Body of a wyrm with 4 arms, two legs and a pair of wings that sprouted from His back. All created to accommodate the bugs within these caverns. The membrane cloak was already dry, yet warm, a perfectly large piece to cover himself with as if sculpted for this very reason. The white glow that surrounded him, it was ever present and would be ever present. Such a glow would need a powerful visage. An arm reached up to feel His face, smooth. Powerful. A face. He chewed off a stubborn piece of membrane that had clung to one of His claws as He had climbed out before He started to walk. The tail He had dragged lightly on the ground behind Him and created a slight trail in His wake. 

_ Granted mind for the price of devotion. _

_ Bugs lining up to visit his kingdom. _

_ Great roads, great architecture, all wrought forth by his guidance. _

This land looked promising for one such as He. Knowledge and foresight, those were His capabilities. There were few wyrms left among the wastes, this He knew before he started to choose a resting place. There were few left such as He, with His capabilities. 

He strode out of the mouth of the large wyrm body, tall and proud with his crown pointed up towards the sky. Regal. For He was a king.  _ Their _ king. One who would guide them away from the savagery they lived in today. For that was in His nature, His very existence, His essence as a god being. To create a civilisation untouched by time, to expand the mind of bugs and grant them knowledge and freedom which others similar to Himself cannot. He could already see that He would succeed in this task. And he already knew who he would make contact with first.

_ Statues raised in his glory. _

_ Tablets describing his greatness. _

_ He would be forever remembered as a glorious, shining king. _

His wings fanned out behind him as he made the first jump. And as predicted, there was already a bug there. A large one, covered by a thick shell and a pair of horns adorn on their head. They were strong, He had watched this one do battle with other foes and came out victorious. It was why He had reached to this particular mind in the first place, one so close with such might. He Himself held a lot of might as a god, but a King could not yield to the people without a warrior.

As the glowing visage of this pale bug slowly ascended in front of the larger, strong bug, he could feel how he was drawn to this bugs light. It was almost blinding to look at, wonderfully so as the beings wings neatly folded behind Him. It was as if he was stuck in a trance simply by looking at this small bug, and while his instincts would have usually been to crush such a small thing for food, this white light was calming. Alluring. Powerful. 

Then He spoke.

“ _ You answered the call. Good. What may We call you? _ ”

It was a strange voice, one that sounded through his mind rather than his body’s hearing. No, He spoke with a voice. A soft voice that caught the attention of anyone listening as well as piercing into the mind of those who didn’t hear. It was another property that made this glowing bug even stranger, how such a tiny thing could be so…  _ powerful _ .

He yielded to this power and was compelled to fall onto his knees before this white bug, as an immediate submission. He felt warm in this bug's presence, this white one calmed the seething rage that always burned within his chest. The seething rage that drove him to battle against any and all other battle compatible bugs that came his way, even venturing as far to the Mantis village to do so.

But this bug felt soothing. His white light blinded him, calmed him, and made him somehow see that he wouldn’t need rage and strength to try and prove himself. This bug was way out of his league and he could tell just by looking at their magnificent form.

“Hegemol… Hegemol I am…”

The newly devoted bug didn’t see how the pale being tilted His head slightly at this large bug’s way of speech. Primitive, for now. But this was more than He expected. He had anticipated that this bug would have only known a name by the time of His awakening. A pleasant surprise.

He walked towards the kneeling bug, He kept his aura under wraps so that the newly attained knight wouldn’t lose his eyesight just by looking at Him. The newly named Hegemol looked up from his kneeling position towards this white bug, still in awe of His presence and the fact that He stood so close.

“ _ Hegemol. Would you swear knighthood to Us as We create a kingdom for bugs and beasts. To stand by Our side as a proven, strong warrior to protect these lands under Our name. _ ”

This wasn’t phrased as a question, for He already knew what this bug’s answer would be. Hegemol could feel joy and pride in his chest as the bug asked this of him, as if he had just won over a powerful foe in battle. It was an unfamiliar feeling, to feel pride just from hearing words being spoken, but not one Hegemol would decline. He lowered his head once more towards this small, powerful bug. Who had been the source of why he had heard whispers of this place. 

It had been His voice that Hegemol heard whispering in the wind.

“Yes. I will. Who…?”

Words were confusing to him still, it was something he had started to use one season flood ago. This bug used many words, but he could still understand every intent behind it perfectly. As if this white bugs' words alone were starting to clear up the confusing cloud that had plagued his mind since he burst out of his egg amongst his clutch.

The king’s brand that was placed on His forehead flashed to make its pattern known, a brand that had been placed upon Him since He burst out from the egg. His body straightened in front of His new knight as He declared His title, what He would be called from now on.

“ _ The Pale King of Hallownest. _ ”


	2. Dark cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pale King has now gathered a following. He explored the caverns for a while before he settled down in the middle of the kingdom. This takes place as they have built a small settlement for bugs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be time skips so I'm going to write a little of what I imagine happened during the chapter in hopes of clearing up some confusion.

Once His first knight had chosen loyalty, those who followed Hegemol in turn were easily convinced. 

_ A bright light, it was beyond His reach. _

Others who already followed a being would be approached once His own position has been secured. The centre of this underground land was easily conquered. Bug and beasts who saw Him either submitted, fled or fought. It didn’t take long until He and his loyal servants established a hub in the heart of these caverns.

_ A dreaming light. A nourishing light. A  _ _ demanding light.  _

He explored further below, He avoided territories that had already been laid claim for now. There he found it, a darkness below filled with creatures dripping of black substance from their eyes. 

_ A pitch black darkness. _

He knew this was dangerous. He could resist this power and it’s dark thrall, for He was a god. But the other bugs who succumbed became the darkness itself and spread its disease. And this door was wide open. He couldn’t let this stay open or it would spread further up, up into his future kingdom. 

_ Bugs panicking, black tears from their eye sockets, bodies lined up among their abodes.  _

The slight headache that accompanied the vision as a path was show to Him was easily ignored as His wings flared out in front of the entrance. He was without guards, for He had felt what He was going to find would have been dangerous for any other bug. And now He understood why He had that feeling from the start. 

He concentrated His soul, His very essence to bend the walls of this cavern to His will. It shaped into a circular opening, one He then proceeded to seal. He manifested many blades from His soul power, they pulsated with his radiant light and the darkness that surrounded him shied away. He made the blades hover in front of the cavern opening and they started to spin to form a circle. Spin around and around, faster and faster until it became a disc of pure light. He could see how the darkness cowered, saw it with His mind’s eye as He let the disk of light compress and transform into a door, a door that was white and glowed brilliantly in the darkness with the brand of the king, His brand, in the very middle of it. 

The influence of this dark power had already lessened within this corridor, He knew He had succeeded in locking it away. He gazed upon the bug corpses around him, small beings that would have been unable to have their minds awoken. Ones who crawled endlessly without the need for substance. He picked up a carcass with this black power streaming down through its eye sockets and He slowly reached out to try and touch this substance. And the moment the tip of his claw touched this substance, an unknown force seemed eager to seep away at His unlimited soul power until He had shook the substance free from His claw. 

_ A darkness that devours the soul _ .

Curious. But now it was sealed, now that foreboding feeling has lessened. He stood up, His white robe, still of his egg membrane, covered His form completely once more. He gazed at the white, pulsing door that blocked off this darkness one last time before He turned away to return to His people. 

_ A darkness to devour God. _

He wasn’t overly fond of this darkness He had found. It could twist bugs into something unimaginable. 

As He returned to His people, He gazed over the structures built of stone and shed shells that He had helped them construct. Simple in design, but they served its purpose. An elder bug, one who had chosen the name “Revidas”, approached the King executing excited pheromones. Where these bugs only used pheromones to display fear or dominance before, they were starting to use it to convey emotions as well. 

Revidas was a slim bug, one with two sets of arms and a pair of legs. His shell was large and heavy, which made him hunch forward slightly as he walked to keep his balance. He had accompanied Hegemol in battle in the past before His arrival to these lands. As Hegemol showed loyalty, so did Revidas and more so besides. Revidas had quickly gotten accustomed to his own thought and speech, much faster than the other bugs, and thus was left in charge while the King was away. 

“Pale King, I have good news to share. The Moth tribe who live far above us by the crystals have decided to make contact with us. One of them is currently waiting for your return by your nest.”

He was surprised by this, He didn’t expect the moths to be in contact with Him so early. He had let them be since He felt they were content with their current light. He hadn’t planned to come in contact with them until He had started to try cultivating weaker bugs or crops for food, where He would then be able to come with a gift of friendship. To have the moth search Him out so early was a pleasant surprise. 

He had been there amongst the crystal coves while He had been exploring these lands for a place to settle. They had a proper community and a certain spirituality that was not too far from the essence of Soul. They were tame bugs and as He had met with their scouts they had bowed low before Him with excited chittering. He had not approached their homestead, as that could be seen as rude, but there were a few moths He met who He had spoken to. Perhaps the fact that He had met a few moth scouts affected this current event. 

Hegemol confessed that they spoke a different language once the moth scouts had left. Language was not something that could hinder a god like Himself from communicating with another bug. Perhaps the moth who had come here had used gestures to communicate with Revidas. If they were willing to cooperate, perhaps the King could learn a thing or two of their old society. It must surely be older than one could imagine. 

“ _ Then We shall meet them. How goes the digging of further tunnels? Have the new workforce proved themselves useful? _ ”

The Pale king conversed with Revidas as they walked towards His personal nest. Revidas gave a nod as he gazed at the King's glorious, glowing form. He felt truly blessed to be chosen by this bug, that his King believed he was intelligent enough to have upkeep over their settlement in this way. It gave him a sense of pride that no battle or victory prior had accomplished. Revidas had sheathed his claws and fangs in favour of nourishing others. And he was very content with that position.

“Yes, the bugs who came last time are helping with digging. They have proven themselves very useful while you were gone.”

“ _ How would they dig without the claws to do so? We could hardly see them useful in that department _ .”

The King’s surprise only made Revidas feel more proud of his work in this settlement. His large shell was heavy on his back, to which he often walked hunched over, but now he straightened up as the King looked at him instead of watching the path before Him. 

“They don’t have strong claws to dig, no, but they use hardened rock to dig with. These bugs don’t need brute strength similar to Hegemol to dig or claws like that of a beetle to cut through the rock. With a hard enough rock in their claws, they can chip at the rock and dirt piece by piece with each swing.”

To use a harder material to destroy another hard material. Yes, this was the kind of knowledge awakening that He had been wanting and searching for with the bugs whose minds he brought to self thought. Hegemol had adapted to hunting tactics to capture prey with the other warriors. Revidas had adapted to understand upkeep and needs. And now these smaller bugs, weaker than those who had joined Him previously by the Wyrm carcass, were using tools to accommodate for their shortcomings. 

It was all shaping up nicely. 

He gave Revidas a brief nod at his explanation to show He was pleased and they continued to speak of the status of their slowly growing settlement as they walked. Bugs that were working stopped briefly as he passed, drawn to his presence with content. He never forced anyone to work for him, He never forced anyone to stay or worship Him. This was what made them feel content, that they had all stayed here by His side by choice rather than influence. 

But the King Himself knew that His presence was hard to ignore once one made contact with it. 

And this was the same for the moth tribe messenger as the bug woman immediately cowered before Him when He stepped into the waiting part of His nest. The moth let her wings spread out over the floor, her whole body pressed against the ground to show submission to the Great One. Such a bright, shining light that grazed her mortal gaze, so soothing and one she could look at without the veil of a dream over her eyes! How glorious it was! She had been chosen as an emissary and it was the most joyous thing she could’ve imagined. She had heard of the bug who shone with a bright light similar to their Raidiance, but she never imagined that this small, Pale bug’s light would be this bright!

She started to chitter and sing in a language no other bug but the King could understand. A sign that they have been sentient long enough to not be affected by the Wyrms presence when He had been sleeping. 

When He had slept, He made sure to adjust the bugs who had recently awakened to speak in a similar language in order to lessen the confusion as he was about to take over these lands. It worked well for the hive, the mushroom, the mosskin, anyone that he touched. 

But not the moths. They had been too closely tied to their god presence to be even slightly affected by the presence of another that was sleeping. And thus they had kept their language. 

“ **Oh bright light, let us serve you. Let us please the light you bring to this world, the moth tribe offer submission to be in your presence.** ”

But perhaps that would change from now on. 

The Pale King was not surprised by this reaction of complete devotion, but He was surprised by how quickly they found Him and reached out to Him. But He would not say no to devotion and accepted them, which made it the first successful conquering of these lands as He now held the lands of the moths within His claws. 

_ The light pulsed. Pulsed and grew darker. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moths acquired.


	3. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Materials from all over the kingdom are being brought in and experimented with to find their uses. The moths continue to live in crystal peak and resting grounds. This is a bit later in Hallownest development and more bugs are slowly gathering to take part in the community.

The tools that the constructor bugs, as He had come to title them, and Himself created sped up the process of their expanding settlement. The Pale King had a larger house made for himself positioned a layer above the other bugs, where a large square was created for any town meetings that the Pale king instinctively knew would come. He knew how to start a settlement, how to bring bugs together and to create a kingdom. For it was in His nature.

The tools created drove to expansion. Expansion let other bugs come and see their developing settlement for themselves. Either out of curiosity, wonder or spite. Nonetheless, He had established a guard system for his people already where bugs who were combat compatible stood guard by the entrance and ready to fend off any hostility towards them. The Pale King started to distance Himself from His people slowly as His attention turned towards other matters than the settlements upkeep. He had created a net of command to perform His duty in steering His people in the right direction without any need to step outside.

Hegemol was in charge of the city’s safety, he distributed the shifts between the combat capable bugs and was the personal guard for the King whenever he needed one. Revidas was in charge of listening to the citizens pleas and made sure that the supplies they had were enough to feed everyone and take care of their needs. He worked closely with Gologo, a constructor bug who had taken up the role as leader over constructing buildings and digging tunnels. They had to make sure that they got the wood they needed from the trees from above for supporting the cave systems they were building. Another constructor bug, Daluk, has gotten a knack for curiosities and thus joined the King in researching the materials in their environment if there was any further use for them than what they already knew. And with these four bugs who led different subjects, they in turn had chosen helpers to assist them in these tasks. The King always had the last word but it was not always that He had to look over the mundane everyday work, for the other bugs could do that for Him.

He felt proud over his citizens. That when He arrived, they could barely speak proper sentences. But now any who was influenced by his presence spoke fluently and had rational thoughts of their own. 

Yes, He felt pride for these bugs. And content that they were giving Him the worship He craved for giving these bugs sentients on a level they previously hadn’t accomplished. They had no symbols, nor statues of worship. But that was something the Pale King was discussing with Gologo to create.

“How about this design, sire?”

Gologo asked as he showed the King another three sets of statues that he had made today. The Pale King stopped in His work of grinding the crystals they had mined from the moth’s territory into fine dust as the construction bug announced his presence. Normally, the King would reprimand the bug since he entered in such a way but what He saw inside the box that the bug held made Him pause. He set down his grinding pin made of stone to approach Gologo, arms neatly folded under His grass fibre robes. Gologo became nervous the closer the King came as his light shone brighter, it made the bug divert his gaze for it almost hurt to look at his King’s magnificent presence. He felt the Pale King pick up one of the stone carvings he had made and heard His whispering yet powerful words cut through the silence.

“ _ This one. It is simple yet dignified. Graceful and mysterious. Just how We wished it to be made. _ ”

Gologo lifted his head slightly so he could look at what the Pale King had picked up and saw the stone carving that he had spent the least time on to create. It was mostly in an oval shape with the King’s crown at the top, a brief depiction of His face underneath and a few lines along the shape to signify the robes He always wore. It made Gologo embarrassed that his King would favour such a crude project when the other two, and the sculptures he had made before that, had depicted His grace in a much more majestic light as he deserved. The first one now left in the box was a depiction of his King standing on a heightened platform and looking over something below Him, His robes pooled over His form. The second one left in the box was a sculpture of his King with His wings spread out and two arms spread, still covered by His robe, as He was trying to shield the bugs who looked upon Him.

But his King chose the most simple project he had sculpted as a last minute sculpture so he would be able to still bring three statues to his King as he had done the previous three days.

But he couldn’t argue with his King’s decision and bowed towards Him, almost to the point that the protective shell hat he wore on his head almost fell off.

“I am glad it pleases you, my King. I will start to design a proper construction to place in the centre of the plaza, as you have commanded. Any finer details you wish to change?”

The King placed the sculpture he had picked up back into its rightful place before he turned around to return to his task of grinding the crystals to a fine dust. He spoke to Gologo as he walked, the bug in question straightened himself to look at the king’s back.

“ _ Give more details to Our crown, depict Our wings as a collar around Our neck rather than on the back. Have the robes look layered similar to a bug’s shell and have the front claws hold Our newly developed Hallownest crest. _ ”

“A collar, my King?”

The Pale King quickly realised that He had spoken of a concept of the future rather than the present. For it was how He had seen the statues in His vision and could put into words at what He had seen.

_ Statues raised in his glory. _

He turned towards the constructor bug and set his forearms by the start of His head with the claws pointed outwards. Similar to a collar as He explained the concept.

“ _ A collar is a piece of coverage that fans out by your neck to frame your face. This would be used to show a higher standing amongst bugs for one such as Us. Three of these collar sections on each side of Our face should illustrate Our wings without creating a fragile piece of the statue. If there were fragile pieces, smaller statues of Us would be a lot harder to create. _ ”

Gologo nodded to show he understood, at least the basic principle of it. That didn’t seem too difficult, and of course his King should have a collar if it showed a higher standing! The concept of something like that seemed unnecessary, but his King had foresight. This would surely be something that became of great importance later on. So he bowed once more towards his King.

“It will be done, my King.”

No sooner did Gologo leave, and the Pale King poured the dust of the crystal into a stone mould with more crystal dust, did Daluk arrive with a wooden slate with a slit through it covering her eyes. She almost knocked Gologo over in her rush to get to the king and anyone in her proximity could feel her excited pheromones. 

“My King! I’ve made a discovery! A great discovery! Wonderful one!”

“ _ If you continue to rush in without forewarning, Daluk, We will have to reprimand you for your behaviour. No matter the discovery you have made. _ ”

The King’s reply made Daluk a bit sheepish as her antennas sunk down. She has accidentally burst into the King’s workshop like this many times before when she has made a new discovery. She had even been granted her own workshop next to the King’s home so that she could report her findings faster. But she really couldn’t help herself! It was exciting to discover new things about the materials around them, including the crystals they had gotten from the moth tribe. And once she made a discovery she wanted to share it as soon as possible. 

She quickly bowed to the King and removed her goggles from her eye sockets so she could see him better. That light he radiates, it was always so calming to look at…

“I’m sorry, my King. I'll try and keep that in mind better next time.”

The Pale king let out a soft sigh at her reply. The same reply she had given the previous times this had happened. Despite her lack of respecting privacy, her curiosity led to discovering new uses to materials they had gathered. She had already found how grinding a certain mineral and mixing it into their vegetation would increase their growth rate. As well as a way how fungal spores can be used to briefly stun other bugs as a way of protection and capture. She was inventive and useful, which was why she got a research position in the first place. There was no other bug who could explore the curiosities of the world quite like her, only two other bugs are helping her so far. 

“ _ Like you have said the previous times. Speak, We are listening. _ ”

“Oh, yes! Those black, somewhat fragile stones we had found. We found a use for them! Once they are burned, they keep the heat much much longer than the vegetation from the green land. They could be used to heat up things a lot longer!”

The Pale King looked towards the enthusiastic bug as she said this, heat things up for a lot longer…

They had made a clay stove to cook food on for easier mass nourishment. They could cook multiple sets of food if the fire lasted longer using this black stone rather than bits of vegetation. Then, they could try and find another way to use the vegetation, perhaps for construction since stone could be limited with its shape. 

_ Blazing forge _

_ Liquid metal _

_ Nail, protection _

The Pale King blinked as the vision suddenly came to Him and He looked over towards the different stones He had yet to fully examine, where one of those stones were the black one Daluk had spoken of, coal. As well as two which He had briefly seen in His vision. He walked over and picked up the black stone and willed the vision to replay in his mind’s eye before he spoke.

“ _ Coal. We shall make a blueprint of a structure of which coal could be better used. Have the construction bugs bring any and all coal they manage to find to Our workshop for safekeeping until further notice. This stone is valuable. It will be the key to ensuring every bug will be safe once they exit our settlement even if they do not have the claws or strength to protect themselves. _ ”

“Yes, my King! I’ll tell Gologo immediately! Save all the black stones, coal, for further development.”

The Pale King turned towards the door and could see that Daluk was already making her way towards the door. She was a hard working bug, He was glad she found her way to Him and had her mind awakened like anyone else who had been in the presence of His light. 

“ _ Daluk. _ ”

This caused her to pause and turn back towards her King, the wooden slate already covered her eyes once more as she was prepared to return to her workshop.

“Yes, my king?”

“ _ Your work is exceptional. But do remember to think of the privacy of other bugs. I may be working on projects that are dangerous for your well being if you burst in unannounced. _ ”

This made her a bit nervous as she glanced towards the crystals that were situated on His table. Something about the crystals made her nervous, she didn’t want to touch them. Something about them unnerved her and the King had taken up the duty to examine them instead. 

“Are they as dangerous as I thought they were…?”

“ _ Not dangerous, no. At least as long as it is in large pieces. They have fragments of Soul in them, powerful one that could prove useful. But do keep in mind, when We have discovered uses for natural resources, Our experiments will become more dangerous for the normal bug over time. We are God. We cannot be affected the way you could be affected. _ ”

This made Daluk fall silent, as it was something she hadn’t thought of beforehand. Would she still be useful after they had discovered the basic principles of all materials…? She didn’t dwell on this thought, but rather bowed towards him and exited the room to find Gologo. The thought that her King would take on life threatening experiments didn’t sit well with her. But he was also right, he was their King, their God, their beacon. He could endure and live past things that any normal bug couldn’t. It was only natural that he would take on harder tasks. 

But what was Soul that her King spoke about?

The Pale king turned back towards the crystal shards once Daluk had exited the room and held a claw over it. His light commanded the soul from within the crystal to emerge and gather under His palm. A small ball of orange energy, barely a speck of light that came from the amount of crystal He had crushed. It wasn’t life threatening nor damaging in any way. But the fact that these crystals held Soul at all was curious. 

He could recognise this light. He had felt it connected to the moths as He slept and felt the land. But why would the light be embedded into the crystals? Was it because it was where the moths lived? Had this one’s presence caused the crystals to grow? Was the crystals the very reason why His presence hadn’t changed the moth's language while He slept? There were many mysteries surrounding this material. Mysteries that he would unveil one after the other.

He quickly used His own soul to destroy the small speck of orange and looked towards the door that led to the outside. If these crystals were left unchecked it could cause problems. Not enough to cause a vision of his to occur immediately but trouble nonetheless. He could find uses for these, it would be possible to mine them how He was planning on mining coal. To both use them as a power source, for construction and to limit the crystals spread through the kingdom. 

He believed He had enough resources to bargain with the other societies that lived within this underground land. He needed to establish easier pathways for people to arrive to the heart of this place. 

The heart of Hallownest. Soon all would know of Him and His growing kingdom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was kinda short but just wanted to throw in a lil experimentation thingies and a little which parts of the community he built up first. I have no professional knowledge on how a kingdom is made, I'm just going with the flow and doing what feels right. Since it was so short, might update next one on friday. We'll see how much time I'll get after school thingies.


	4. Trades and roots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pale king has yet to find out that there's a civilisation of spiders within Deepnest but only think there are mindless beasts there last he checked. Here, he meets a big certain someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. School has sapped me of my mental energy so posting this late. Ah well, it's just for funsies.  
> Hope you enjoy!

The trade system He has established was going well. 

The land of the mushrooms were arrogant with their hive mind, but as He proclaimed that He could change their future for the better, describing his power of foresight, they fell under His rule. The mushrooms supplied them with spores and acid from their lakes, containers made with crystal glass could stand against the corrosive properties of the liquid. A few bugs who lived within these fungal tunnels decided to come live in His village as they were curious of their lifestyle. 

However, the mantis tribe that lived within those fungal halls refused to fall under any rule. The King had to defeat the four leaders in a battle of strength and was thus given free speech within their village. But they were not willing to partake in any trade with the kingdom and would much rather stick to themselves. He accepted this and in return they would block hostile creatures from the deep dark nesting grounds from reaching His kingdom. The mantis tribe accepted this agreement, as they were already doing this for their own tribe’s safety, and the two communities haven’t contacted one another since. 

The same could be said about the beehive situated to the left of His kingdom. He received hostile treatment when He approached for a peaceful conversation. The bees were not willing to open their borders in any way but they were willing to part with a certain amount of honey every 10th sleep cycle to have their borders stay untouched. A good compromise in the King’s own opinion as the honey was sweet and soothing for any bug who drank it. It would become more valuable as time passed and He might approach the beehive once more as the demand for honey exceeded the stock they received. But that was a conversation for the future. 

The mosskin of the greeneries had already established a thriving society of their own under the guidance of the goddess Unn that they worshipped. The King accepted this as he had with the other societies and offered to have friendly relations with them, to which the mosskin agreed similar to the mushroom bugs. They saw how allying with Hallownest could benefit their society and they were willing to initiate trade with them. Further in the future He would approach the mosskin about constructing buildings and roads within their lands, the same could be said about the fungal bugs lands but that would occur later. 

The bugs of his growing kingdom could take part in purchasing the wares using a work label system. Each bug who had a daily task got a stone slate with a design on it. They could then use this slate once every two sleep cycles to purchase wares on the marketplace they had built on the plaza outside the King's nest. The same plaza which held his statue. Each different work symbol decided how many wares they could buy, where Hegemol had his combat subordinates keep checking on the markings the vendors put on the stone so that no one could grab more than what they worked for. Depending on the work they performed and the value it held to the kingdom, the amount they could acquire would increase or decrease from bug to bug. These slates would change into currency over time as the bugs understood the value of trade and upkeep within their community. 

So far, the most expensive and resource craving craftsmanship they had were nails, weapons which anyone could use given enough time. He had a forge be constructed and they had started to melt metal ore to craft weapons and sturdy building material out of the metal. The hardest metal, and the one most difficult to work with, was dubbed Pale ore and there has yet to be a smith who wanted to challenge themselves with moulding it after so many had failed. 

The majority of these nails were made with what they dubbed grey metal. Not as sturdy as the pale ore but it was much harder than any rock or caprice in the kingdom and thus was still very valuable. Gologo and the King had created a measuring system with the creation of these nails so that they could be forged after a bug’s size. 

10 claws was 1 mandible. 10 mandibles was 1 tail. And 10 tails was 1 king. A normal bugs size was around 1 tail and 7 mandibles tall and the construction work was now measured in kings, or K as they called it, to measure the size of the construction exactly rather than guessing. With the added metal tools, it all has helped the constructor bugs to work better as a team, which He was very glad for. 

The King also met someone curious within the land of the mosskin…

It was soon after He finished His negotiations with the mosskin that He sensed her. Her presence was much different from the others He had felt prior, it was a more subtle presence. It melted into the greenery which was why He hadn’t noticed her in the first place while asleep. She was a part of the greenery around her, yet she actively hid from getting noticed. He had sent all of His company except for Hegemol back to their city as He went out to search for this presence. 

And as He approached the clearing where He felt her, He was stopped by a determined bug who held a long, sharp cacti needle in her claws and pointed the tip of said needle towards His face. He stayed calm as He was threatened this way while Hegemol tensed up and reached for the hammer that was strapped to his side. He was far larger than this new bug, but she was still taller than the King. She had three triangle pieces of her shell protruding from her head, pointed upwards and her exoskeleton was a prestige white similar to the King himself. Only without the radiant energy of a higher being. She was clad in leaves and vines from her surroundings and her pheromones radiated unease. 

“State your business,  _ King _ .”

She knew He was a King yet faced her weapon towards Him. Curious. He waved for Hegemol to stand down as He looked up at the bug before Him. He wasn’t put off by her approach, He could feel the other beings' influence on her so His own light wouldn’t affect her as much at first glance. 

“ _ We hold no hostility. Simply here to satisfy curiosity. _ ”

The female bug shivered slightly as His voice shook her to the very core. A voice that cut through all sound, a voice that brought attention to Him the moment He spoke. It made her mind go muddy for only a second, where she was briefly overwhelmed by His powerful presence alone. She was tempted to lower her weapon, it would be rude to have this bug at a weapon’s point when He was only here to satisfy His curiosity. 

But no, she would stay loyal. She was tasked to protect. But before she could speak up once more against this King, another voice spoke up behind the female bug. 

“ _ Dryya, cease. He has been expected. _ ”

Dryya, as the white bug was called, immediately lowered her weapon and turned to face the being who stepped out of a cave she had been guarding. She bowed towards this new entity and took a step to the side to let the King pass, but kept a close eye on Hegemol as he was behind the King.

What stepped out was someone with a familiar radiant aura as the King’s own, albeit dimmer as if she was forcing it to stay dim rather than to let it loose. She was no bug, she was as tall as Hegemol and her body was similar to that of a moving, breathing tree. One which roots kept her body aloft and tree crown which served as her horns and hands. This explained why He couldn’t feel this entity prior, she was literally a  _ part _ of the greenery around her as he could see how the flowers and roots held the energy this being emitted. The King stood still as the being approached and her wide, blue eyes met His own, she was curious about Him just as He was of her.

“ _ I did not expect us to meet so soon, Wyrm. His senses are extraordinary. _ ”

Her voice was similar to His own as well, how it cut through sound and reached the very centre of your being to grasp your attention. If one were to compare how these two beings spoke, the King would demand attention. Where this lady would kindly ask for attention. It was soothing, warm, motherly in a way how the voice enveloped your senses and instinctively had you calm down as you listened. The King wasn’t affected by her voice or her presence, for He was a god, but Hegemol noticeably relaxed from his previous tense stance as this being spoke.

Wyrms were powerful beings, beings who have created kingdoms all over the lands beyond this one. One of the gods who involved themselves in their communities and creations the most. And this being, she was on an equal power level as Himself. No, she could grow more powerful if she so chose, He could see and sense how she held back her power and influence. The King still had room to grow in his current form, as he would, but this one had actively stopped her progress.

Curious.

As they were equals in this instance, the Pale King ceased to speak as a King. And spoke to this being as a person as He gave the lady before Him a bow.

“ _ My thanks for your praise. I am known as the Pale King amongst my people. I have never seen, sensed or heard of anyone similar to your design before. _ ”

Hegemol tensed up once more as he stared at his King. He bowed only His head to this living tree, but the fact that his King bowed at all didn’t sit right with Hegemol. His King was the most powerful being in Hallownest, within these tunnels. And to have Him bow towards someone, someone who could never be as divine and powerful as Him, it felt wrong to the knight. But he couldn’t say anything against his King’s decision, so he stayed put and kept a close eye on this lance wielding bug, Dryya, instead. As Dryya likewise kept an eye on him.

The white tree before him lowered one of her branches and had it curl in front of the bottom of her face, as if she covered her mouth in a polite gesture. A brief view into the future showed the King that other bugs would do a similar action in the future, a motion taken as embarrassment or surprise. A motion taken from this pale being? Perhaps. This tree had no arms or claws, but had the roots attached to her head act as arms and hands instead. 

“ _ He speaks to me as a person rather than king. I would be surprised if he had met someone such as I. I have been given my own form and my own divinity through bugs' devotion to nature itself. My power does not come from this kingdom alone, but I have made this place my home. I have come to enjoy the greenery Unn has created. _ ”

“ _ That would explain why you feel like nature itself. May I implore on your company, lady white? I am certain you are just as curious of me as I am of you. _ ”

He could see those sparkling blue eyes narrowed slightly in a smile and she gestured towards the cave she first emerged from. The Soul within her body controlled these roots protruding from her head with perfect precision, not a movement or Soul power wasted. 

“ _ I’d be delighted to. I hadn’t thought of that title before, lady white. I have been known as nature up to this point. _ ”

The Pale King walked forward as lady white gestured for Him to do and motioned for Hegemol to stay from over His shoulder. His attention was instead on the pale being next to Him as they walked side by side towards the cave she called home. Her roots moved to drag her forward and held her body aloft from the ground. Her pace was slow, but nothing that the King couldn’t adjust to.

“ _ Nature is too vague of a name to give a radiant being such as yourself. You deserve a proper title, a proper name. I’d be delighted to assist you in the endeavor. _ ”

“ _ Does he have a name or simply the title of the Pale King? _ ”

“ _ Only a title. _ ”

“ _ Then I would be likewise delighted to assist him in finding a name. _ ”

The Pale King paused for a brief moment as lady white said this and looked up at the much larger, yet equally powerful being next to him. A name for a Wyrm was no simple matter. Wyrms had titles, rulership, but never stood on equal grounds with any being and thus had no need for a name. They had no need for any attachments such as another person nor a name to share with that person. They were rulers, gods.

But here was a being who was His equal.

“ _ I’d have to decline that offer. It is against the nature of Wyrms to bear a name. _ ”

“ _ Then I shall have only a title as well until further notice. _ ”

She declared and sat down on a rock as they had now reached her living space. There were plants everywhere on the walls and roof of this cavern. And there was a series of roots that He could feel that ran through the cavern floor. Most likely hers. Lady white gestured for Him to sit down on a rock opposite to hers and He gladly did so.

She was a curious being. She knew a lot of the world around her but didn’t understand the meaning behind it. She had seen how the Pale King’s settlement steadily grew but didn’t understand the concept of society. So He told her of all of this, let time fly by as He shared the benefits of having a society with this other Pale being before Hegemol called that they should return to their citizens.

For His next visit, Lady white told Him of the nature she was born from, how she came to be and found her way here. How she saw and interacted with the world through her roots and how she used Soul to shift her being.

He started to bring small gifts for His visits, small trinkets which showed the growth and development of his society. He even gave Dryya, her guard, a solid metal rapier as a weapon so she wouldn’t have to use a cactus needle any longer.

He visited her any time that he could, when there wasn’t a market or food crisis to take care of. When the research quota for the day had been completed and no constructions to look over. It made the visits spontaneous more than anything, but for some reason He craved her company.

She understood Him in a way that no other bug had done before. Just as He could understand the meaning behind her words in a way that Dryya, her only companion up until this point, hadn’t done.

It was like a dance. Where they came together and parted their separate ways repeatedly, over and over.

It was strange to Him, but it was not a dance that he would like to see end anytime soon. And perhaps the same could be said for the White Lady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo... yeh. This is kinda my own interpretation of the White Lady and her loyal guard Dryya. If you don't like my head canon thingies of how they met, that's fair. This is just the way I imagine it to be and how I like it. Just doing this for funs. And an economic system, yaaaay. I still have no clue how societies are built up.

**Author's Note:**

> And yes, this will be Pale king centric third person where he will be adressed with a capital letter. You cannot stop me from sprinkling his kingly charm into the very text describing him.


End file.
